Legal marketing
Google Ads
for lawyers.
Google has no legal services category in its restricted businesses policy, so most law firms can advertise without special approval. The rules that bite are the profession's: what you can say about fees, specialist status and personal injury work. Pay for searches where someone needs a lawyer now, track calls, and if you advertise 'no win, no fee', say plainly what the client still pays.
Written by Dan Picken, a marketer who checks the sources. Last checked 2 November 2026.Which searches
to pay for.
Sort searches by how soon the person needs help.
| Search type | Example | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Urgent | 'drink driving lawyer Gosford', 'arrested what to do' | Bid, with call ads and hours that match when people search. |
| Life event | 'separation property settlement lawyer', 'contest a will' | Strong intent. Send each to a page about that problem. |
| Cost questions | 'how much does a divorce lawyer cost' | Good if you can answer it honestly on the page. |
| Free help | 'free legal advice', 'legal aid' | Often people who can't pay. Exclude, or point them somewhere useful. |
| Not clients | 'law degree', 'paralegal jobs' | Add as negative keywords. |
Google's rules
for law firms.
There's no legal category in Google's other restricted businesses policy, and no Australian verification specific to lawyers was found. Immigration firms are the one to watch. Under Google's government documents policy, only governments and authorised providers can advertise getting documents like visas directly. From 5 October 2026, authorised means your site is linked from an official government site. Check how it applies before running visa ads.
Many legal enquiries start with a call. Call reporting uses a Google forwarding number on Search ads and creates a 'calls from ads' conversion. Set a minimum call length so short hang-ups don't count.
Advertising
fees and costs.
Fixed fees work well in ads, because people's biggest worry is the bill. Disclosure rules still apply once someone becomes a client: under the Uniform Law (NSW, Victoria and WA), with amounts excluding GST and disbursements, no disclosure is needed up to $750, a short standard form is allowed up to $3,000, and full disclosure is needed above that. An estimate can be a range, if it's your best estimate.
'No win, no fee' is where most trouble starts. Conditional costs agreements can't be used for criminal or Family Law Act matters in the Uniform Law states. The Queensland Law Society says a bare 'no win, no fee' is likely misleading unless the firm also covers disbursements and the other side's costs, and in WA, 'no compensation = no legal fees' was found misleading in a 2006 tribunal case.
No win, no fee builder
Say what 'no win'
really costs.
Pick your state, practice area and where the ad will run, then say what the client still pays. It writes a plain line and flags the usual problems.
Draft line
Check before it runs
What I see most often
What I see
most often.
- 1
'Free legal advice' searches eating budget
Clicks from people looking for legal aid, with no negative keywords to stop them.
- 2
Forms tracked, calls not
The account counts web forms while most enquiries arrive by phone.
- 3
Ads to the home page
Someone searching about a drink driving charge lands on a page about the whole firm.
- 4
A bare 'no win, no fee'
The phrase in the headline, and what the client still pays nowhere near it.
The honest bit. Legal clicks can be expensive, and no reliable public data on Australian legal click costs was found, so test with your own account. If a search doesn't lead to matters worth having, stop paying for it.
Questions
people ask.
Can lawyers use Google Ads in Australia?
Yes. Legal services aren't in Google's restricted businesses list. Professional conduct rules still apply to what the ad says.
Can lawyers advertise 'no win, no fee'?
In some cases, with the full picture. It's not available for criminal or Family Law Act matters in the Uniform Law states, and in Queensland personal injury it's limited to the firm's own website.
How do I track calls from Google Ads?
Use call reporting with a Google forwarding number on Search ads, and track calls from your website too. Set a minimum call length.
Do immigration lawyers need approval for Google Ads?
Possibly. Under Google's government documents policy, only authorised providers can advertise getting visas directly, and from 5 October 2026 that means being linked from an official government site.
Related
Keep
going.
Get a free
Google Ads audit.
Takes a minute. Audits come back within 1 to 2 business days. For anything else, I'll get back to you as soon as possible.
What happens next
- 1I'll ask for read-only access, or just your website for a search audit.
- 2I go through it and write up the 3 biggest fixes.
- 3A 20-minute call to walk you through it. No pitch unless you ask.